The Return
by DarkAngelNyx
Summary: Jenova returns to raise hell on the Planet.  Because its me, will contain yaoi. Don't like, don't read.  Cloud. If I say any others, I will spoil it.  FFVII Final Fantasy 7
1. Chapter 1

The night was just about to end, morning was slowly beginning to roll in. The sun seemed to part the clouds as it rose, filling the sky with its rosy light. It had seemed that everyone in Midgar was asleep, that everyone in Edge was safe and sound in the comfort of their beds at this time; everyone except for one person.

Cloud had once again had a near sleepless night, unable to get more than maybe 2 hours of sleep. He had snuck out of 7th Heaven, as he did almost every night in the past, and rode Fenrir, his motorcycle over to the cliff; where Zack's memorial used to be located until they moved it to the church in the slums. The blond looked to the sky, watching as the Sun broke through the darkness, watching as everything was slowly covered by the Sun's white light. He did this every morning, for it helped him clear his thoughts, mostly. It was also something he used to do with Zack all the time, when he was alive. It had been a year since he got rid of his Geostigma, 11 years since his village was burned down, and 6 years since Aerith and Zack were killed. Cloud still missed Zack so. He could always seem to feel the ex-SOLDIERS presence around him, and half expected to see Zack gliding across the sky with the wimgs he had always wanted. The thought itself managed to bring a small smile across the blonde's lips. Watching the sunrise helped him to cope with these things as much as he allowed himself to. Also, he never wanted to break the habit, for it was something he used to do with the sable-haired man.

It also helped him deal with everything that was happening now. Not too long ago, the Lifestream had revived Aerith. Of course, this made Cloud happy, one of his mistakes had been reversed, Aerith was alive. But, there was this pesky little voice in the back of his head, that continued to ask the same question; Why had it been Aerith who was revived, why not Zack? It pained the blond to think this way, Aerith was a dear friend, and he cared for her deeply, but Zack was different. Cloud wanted to once more embrace the sable haired male, to feel his strong arms held around him so bad it pained him. But alas, it was Aerith who came back, and not Zack. He just had to learn to deal with that.

Another event that had passed was that Sephiroth was also back. Not some remnant that was After Jenova's head, no, the Real Sephiroth. Also, he wasn't the Sephiroth that was under Jenova's hold either; it was the one Cloud knew when Zack was alive, when Cloud was nothing more than an Infantryman. It confused the blond when the silver haired man came by, asking for a place to stay. But Tifa and Aerith surprisingly, welcomed him with open arms, probably because they sensed the change within him.

All these things, all the thoughts were somehow remedied, calmed, as he watched the light fill the sky. Cloud sighed softly as he remembered that he had to be back home soon, hoping that Aerith and Tifa weren't awake yet. He wasn't in the mood to be interrogated by the two females, so he quickly started up Fenrir once more and drove off into the town. Once he got close to Tifa's establishment, he cut the engine and parked his motorcycle, and walked the rest of the way. He walked through the door, hoping that he wouldn't see the two women downstairs cleaning the place, but as usual, his hopes were crushed as he saw them downstairs, preparing for the opening of 7th Heaven, so he himself began to prepare for the onslaught of questions he was sure to receive. Sephiroth was also downstairs, enjoying a hot cup of coffee. He looked towards Cloud, then back at his coffee and spoke softly.

"Cloud is here." He said before taking a sip of his strong coffee.

Aerith looked over to Tifa as the ex- general spoke these words. The dark haired brunette shook her head, not wanting to have this conversation with Cloud again because she has it too often in the past. Aerith sighed and decided to take the reins herself.

"So, where did you go today?" She asked softly. She looked up at Cloud with her soft green eyes.

"I watched the Sunrise. Just like I do every morning." The blond responded softly. He wasn't lying, he didn't lie about his whereabouts when people asked, but for some reason they never believed him. He watched Aerith sigh and go back to cleaning as Tifa shook her head a bit. Cloud sighed softly and turned around. "I'm heading to Modeohiem. I have a delivery to make there." That wasn't exactly what he was going there for, but they wouldn't believe him if he had told them the truth anyway. They never seemed to. He walked out of 7th Heaven and got on his bike, heading to Modeoheim to go see Reno, one of the few people who, surprisingly, understood him.

Shortly after Cloud had left the establishment, Sephiroth felt something strange. Something all too familiar. He felt a pull. It was faint, but it was still there, pestering him. The ex-general sat there, trying to ignore the feeling, but he couldn't any longer. He needed to get rid of the sensation, or at least find its source, for it started to annoy him, so he stood and headed to the door.

"Where are ya headed?" Tifa asked, looking up at Sephiroth. She was nervous whenever he left, always worrying that he would do something to bring back his old habits.

"Out. Have to take care of something." He said dismissively before walking out the door. Once outside, he unfurled his black wing and took to the skies, following that pull to wherever its source was. He flew and felt the sensation get stronger until he reached its source. He landed and began walking towards a woman, she was shorter than he. That was all he was able to notice until he walked closer to her. When he had finally gotten close, he wished he hadn't and immediately began to turn around, but it was already too late. He felt his muscles tense without his doing as he stared at the woman who held an uncanny resemblance to him.

The woman's lips curled into a sinister grin as she moved closer to Sephiroth, her long silver hair blowing in the wind as she walked. "It has been awhile." She paused for a moment, allowing the time to sink in. "My son."

"Jenova. " He growled through clenched teeth. His 'Mother 'was back. No wonder the pull felt so familiar. Sephiroth had made it too easy for her to reach him, and cursed himself for being such an idiot. Now he was once again under her control, who knows what she could be here for this time.

"Don't sound so hurtful son." She laughed softly, her cat like eyes staring into Sephiroth's. "I have an assignment for you."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Cloud arrived in Modeoheim quickly, due to the vast space upon where he could use Fenrir to the fullest speed. He took off his goggles and looked up at the seemingly abandoned house at the top of the hill. He sighed as he made his way up there and noticed something strange.

It was much too quiet here. Usually you could hear Reno blaring music, or just yelling about something stupid, it was what he did. But today, today it was much too quiet. Plus, as he looked around, the TURK's helicopter was nowhere to be seen.

He made his way inside the house cautiously before he heard a stupid, all too familiar laugh.

"Kadaj." Cloud said annoyed. He thought he had gotten rid of this bastard the last time they encountered each other. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he looked at the silver haired remnant, cursing at himself for leaving his sword in his motorcycle.

The remnant laughed, noticing Cloud tense up at the sight of him. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you, merely to inform you. " He smirked as he walked around Cloud slowly, watching the blonde's movements carefully. "You will never believe who's back in town."

"Who, Sephiroth? Nice try Kadaj, everyone knows about that." Cloud snapped back quickly.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You underestimate my power as a messenger. We all know Sephiroth is back again. But that's only part of the good news." Kadaj said as he paused to look at the blond, that sinister smile still on his lips. "Mother is back." He laughed. "Even though you are the black sheep of the family, surely you have to have noticed her familiar presence." The remnant said softly.

"Mother?" Cloud whispered to himself. It couldn't be; the calamity couldn't have been back. But what was he worried about, he had broken her hold on him years ago, so why was he so worried. Because Jenova could be the single most powerful entity he has ever known. Even at a weakened state, she was able to bring Sephiroth and himself to their knees. He could not let that happen again. But Kadaj was right, even though he broke the calamity's hold on him, Cloud could still feel that pulsing presence in the back of his mind.

Kadaj smiled triumphantly, noticing Cloud's face change as he thought. "See, you do feel her. I knew you were still part of the family, isn't it wonderful." He said while smiling. The remnant then began to run. "You might want to follow me; I may tear up some poor town if someone doesn't stop me!" He cried as he ran out the door and jumped on his own motorcycle. This was all part of Mother's plan. To lure Cloud out so Sephiroth could deliver him to Mother. Then Jenova could do what he pleased with the blond. Kadaj smirked when he saw Cloud following him on his motorcycle. _Just as planned_

Kadaj led Cloud close to where Jenova was, and the blond could feel her presence as he sped up. He was so close to catching up to Kadaj, nut then the ground shook beneath him, slowing him down, allowing the remnant to speed ahead of him. The blond made it to solid ground again, but just before he sped up again, Sephiroth descended from the skies and landed ahead of Cloud.

The blond saw this happen and quickly swerved his bike to avoid hitting Sephiroth, knowing it would cause more damage to himself than the ex-general. He rolled off his bike a little ways away from where Sephiroth stood; he groaned looking up at the man, having no recovery time to dodge the slow spell that was cast on him.

Sephiroth wasn't doing this of his own free will. He rather enjoyed Cloud's company recently, and had no reason to do anything that he was doing. But Jenova's hold on him was stronger than ever, and he was forced to walk up to the blond and stabbed him in his right shoulder, rendering it useless as it moved to grab the sword that fell out of Fenrir. He could almost feel the calamity relish at the sounds of pain that escaped the blonde's mouth, making him shudder. _No. _He thought as he removed the blood stained sword from Cloud's shoulder._ I won't be a puppet any longer._ Sephiroth thought as he quickly cast Esuna on the wounded swordsman and almost immediately groaned in pain afterwards, feeling his 'Mother's' hold on him tighten as she felt his disobedience.

"Go, quickly!" Cloud heard Sephiroth say as he felt his tendons and muscles mend themselves do to the Esuna that was unexpectedly cast on him. He looked up from the floor and saw the great swordsman crumble, falling to the floor, his entire body shaking. The blond knew of only one person that could make Sephiroth fall so easily, Jenova. His very fears were ground in at that meant, because now he was absolutely positive that Kadaj wasn't playing a trick on him. He heard the silver haired man growl again, a sound of pain escaping his lips, something you would never hear from the man.

"GET AWAY FROM HERE!" He struggled to say as he got to his feet. Sephiroth looked to the sky, and saw Jenova hovering there, her white wings nearly sparkling in the Sun. Cloud followed the man's gaze and froze, recognizing the woman immediately. The ex-general once again took to the skies, following the calamity to wherever she was going off to. Cloud struggled to get to his feet, but then quickly ran to Fenrir, lifting it up and quickly jumping on.

"What do I do…" He questioned softly, sitting there on his motorcycle feeling the wind blow through his coarse hair. He didn't have nearly enough power to defeat the calamity. Hell, he barely had enough strength to beak her hold on him all those years ago; it took everything in him just to do that seemingly simple task. But, if Cloud didn't want his friends to get involved in this situation, he would have to follow Jenova and dispose of her himself. He started Fenrir back up and followed the trail of feathers that led straight to his greatest enemy. It was stupid yes, but it was all he could think of doing.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Jenova and Sephiroth arrived at Dr. Hojo's old lab, where this entire mess stared. True, the old place was virtually in ruins, but Jenova couldn't care less. It was familiar to her, so that was where she would say. She turned when she heard Sephiroth trudge through the door, still in great pain due to the calamity. Kadaj followed behind closely, an expression of joy on his face. He was so happy; he could almost burst out laughing.

_Mother's greatest son is being disobedient. That must mean I'm her favorite now. _He thought, nearly jumping with joy. Jenova noticed this and scowled at her son.

"Do not be happy about this my son. Cloud Strife could take you down so much easier than he can Sephiroth. If he is disobedient, there will no one there to protect you." She said menacingly, making the remnant cringe.

"I'm sorry Mother." He said kneeling in front of Heaven's Harbinger. Jenova stared at him with displeasure for a while, and then sighed softly. Kadaj then felt a hand on his head, which nearly made him purr with pleasure. Mother was accepting him again, and that was all he needed.

Jenova allowed Kadaj to stand before she paced the room restlessly. "Now that Sephiroth is being disobedient, this may be harder than I thought." She thought aloud. Cloud was already difficult enough to catch, but now with her greatest warrior down, how could she do it. She continued to pace around, the remnant staring at her endlessly as Sephiroth's writhing slowly began to slow. "Damn it. What to do?" She asked herself softly. She continued to think, running through different plans in her head. The calamity did this until she felt a presence at the door, her pale lips curling into a grin that could make anyone cringe with fear. "Well look at that; all that worrying, and he brought himself right to us. Sephiroth!" She said with authority. The man almost immediately stood, Jenova smiling even more now that her pawn was now obedient. "Answer the door for me, would you sweetie?"

The ex-general walked to the door slowly, and opened the door with a creak. Sephiroth stared at Cloud in disbelief, and surprisingly, horror. He didn't want the blond involved in this mess. That was why he tried to send him away. Yet here he was, standing right in front of him, sword in hand as if expecting he could simply defeat Jenova and go on with his merry life. The swordsman glared at the other, and stepped aside to allow him room to get in. Cloud nodded at Sephiroth before walking in keeping a distance from the woman he feared so much.

Now, Cloud knew that his plan was most likely doomed from the start, but as soon as he heard that door slam closed, he knew that his fate was sealed. Jenova looked up and smiled at him, the simple movement causing a shudder to go down his back. The calamity paced around the blond, almost like an animal observing its prey. This made Cloud clutch is sword tighter in his hand, preparing to strike at any moment.

"So," She began softly, stepping behind Cloud. This made the blond want to lash around quickly, but he stopped himself from doing so, knowing the movement would never be completed due to Kadaj and Sephiroth watching him like hawks. Jenova smiled as she continued to speak. "I've read about you. The infamous Cloud Strife. Of course, I already knew about you before, when you were under my control." The sentence made Cloud tense up more than he was already, making Jenova giggle lightly. "Well, now I can't control you anymore, and I don't like that. Not. One. Bit." As she spoke, she had removed a syringe slowly, and without Cloud's knowing, had taken a large sample of her blood and placed it inside the tube.

Sephiroth watched this in horror, knowing what was coming. He wished that he could speak, could warn Cloud, tell him to run, far away from here. But that was impossible, Jenova made him hold his tongue.

"I don't care if you like it or not. There is nothing you could do about it." Cloud responded, trying to control the unsteadiness of his voice. If only he knew…

"Oh, you don't know how wrong you are…" Jenova said as she placed her arm around the blonde's waist to hold him in place. Then with her other hand, she stabbed the needle of the syringe into the crook of Cloud's neck, relishing at the sound of pain that escaped his lips. "Prepare to be part of the family again, Cloud." Then, slowly, Heaven's Dark Harbinger slowly injected her cells directly into Cloud's bloodstream, which would allow her control him once more, and now that it was a pure direct sample from her body, Jenova would be able to control him even more than before. The mere thought itself made her smile wickedly as she continued to inject her blood into the swordsman.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Jenova removed the needle from Cloud's neck, the swordsman fell to his hands and knees, feeling the foreign blood rush through his system. It was a strange sensation at first, but then changed to one of pain, almost unbearable pain. The blond groaned softly as he tried to hold back any other sounds of torture he must be feeling, for he knew it would only make Jenova happier. The icy cold but warm painful feeling made its way through his bloodstream, and soon he was unable to support himself anymore, his arms failing him as he lay on the floor, writhing. The calamity smiled at the sight, then proceeded to laugh loudly at her success.

"What did you do to me?" Cloud struggled to say as he nearly clawed the floor with his gloved hands. He then yelled loudly, feeling the foreign blood pump through his heart, his chest feeling as if a thousand pound weight was pressed upon him.

Jenova took pleasure in the scream, relishing in the torment she caused the poor boy. But before she had a chance to answer the question, Kadaj interceded, answering it for her.

"Isn't it great Brother. You're part of the family again!" The remnant paused to laugh manically before looking down at the writhing blond and continuing. "Oh what a joyous day. The black sheep is one of us once more. Isn't this great Sephiroth?" He was about to ramble on more with his nonsense before Jenova could take no more.

"Silence you imbecile!" The calamity commanded, laving everything silent save for the blonde's sounds of pain, and his leather gloves against the tile. Kadaj pressed himself in one of the corners of the room and kept silent, afraid at what Jenova might do to him if he continued to talk.

Sephiroth was as still as ever. All he could do watch his former enemy, his comrade be torn to pieces inside as his body tried to take in the abundance of his 'Mother's' blood being forced into his bloodstream. H wanted to flinch at the sounds of the boy's misery, wanted to take him away from here, but he could not. He was forced to stay and watch the madness unfold, as much as he didn't want to. The ex-general was completely under Jenova's hold once more, and unable to do anything about it.

Cloud's writing stopped a bit, changing into momentary spasming. The pain was starting to dull, his body, unfortunately taking in the blood without rejection. He got up on his hands and knees, but before he could stand, Jenova kneeled down in front of him and held his chin up, so that he was forced to look into those menacing eyes. "Welcome back to the family." She said softly before she grinned.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

After she had helped Tifa with the last of her preparations for the day, Aerith had gone out, promising the owner that she would return later. She decided to go to where Zack's memorial had previously been, because she did not wish to see his current memorial in the church. The flower girl wanted to tend to her flowers, but at this moment, she could not bear to be in the same proximity of the spirit she knew so long ago. She looked out to the horizon, merely thinking about life, and why she had returned.

For the little time that she has been alive once more, Aerith has been able to deduct the feelings of the friends that surround her. Tifa is simply happy she is alive again. Marlene is surprised, but happy, just like Tifa. Sephiroth is almost uncaring. And Cloud is…

She took a deep breath ad closed her eyes for a moment. The flower girl brought her knees to her chest and held them close, trying to think about how Cloud felt now that she was back. Cloud certainly appeared to be happy that Aerith was back, and as far as she could tell, he genuinely was. But she knows better than that. She knows that when the blond saw her enter 7th Heaven for the first time since her death he had expected Zack Fair to come running in shortly afterwards. Truthfully, so had she. Aerith had wanted to see the two reunite once more, wanted to see their smiles as they embraced for the first time in years. Wanted Cloud to once again be, well, happy.

When Zack didn't arrive, she could clearly sense Cloud's disappointment. She also knew very well the question he asked in his head, for she asked the same one; why was she revived? Obviously, the Planet had wanted her for something, there was obviously something coming, and she had to stop it. But why just her? On multiple occasions since her rebirth, she has prayed to the Planet, to the Lifestream countless times, always asking the same thing. Why just her? Why was she the only one to return? She wanted them to answer her prayers, but they never would.

Aerith sat there, trying to hold back her tears until she felt the very Planet cry beneath her. "What..?" She asked softly trying to here Gaia's plea. She felt a pull to the Church in the slums, a very powerful one at that. _Do what you know must be done._ The voice of the Planet said to her. The flower girl was confused, but stood up anyway and hurriedly made her way over to the Church.

It took what felt like forever to get to the Church, her weak legs taking her slowly to her destination. Once Aerith finally arrived, she caught her breath a bit before she felt the strong pull again. It had willed her over to Zack's grave, his sword shining in the sunlight that shone through the roof, almost as if it was calling to her. She stood in front of the sword and then thought of what the voice had said.

"Do what you know must be done." She said softly to herself. Now she had understood. The Planet cried to her for the great calamity, Jenova, was once again back to claim the Planet. She once again felt the sword call to her, now knowing that it had not been the Planet that guided her here, but something else, or rather, someone. Aerith slowly kneeled in front of the glistening sword, clasping her hands to together as she did so, and then proceeded to pray.

"Oh please work…" She begged softly.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Jenova brought Cloud up to his feet, then turned to look at Sephiroth, his green eyes sparkling in the dim lighting. She then proceeded to smirk and began to walk outside. "Come," Was all she said, and this made both Cloud and Sephiroth trail after her, almost like dogs.

The blond growled as he tried to fight the feeling, tried to stop himself from walking, but the pull was simply too great as he was forced to step out into the Sun, Sephiroth following in his trail He was once again a puppet, what he never wanted to be again. Cloud groaned once more, trying to fight off the feeling. To try and pull the strings of his body his way, but that only caused pain to blossom through his body, falling to the floor again.

"Now now," Jenova teased softly as she turned to see the swordsman on the floor. "Fighting against me will only cause you pain, so I suggest you listen." She forced the blond to stand once more, the pained expression on his face making her smile. "Now, what to do?" She wondered aloud. "Ah yes, you both will fight. I want to see how far you'll go to please me." Jenova unfurled her wings and flew up to the skies, looking down at the two men with amusement. "Begin."

Sephiroth immediately ran towards Cloud, preparing to strike at him, he wasn't fast enough, the blond having enough time to lift his sword and block. They didn't want to fight each other though, so they forced themselves to endure the pain as the pushed against the others sword, blue and green eyes meeting.

"Why did you come here?" Sephiroth growled angrily. "Why didn't you do as I said?"

Cloud pushed slightly harder on his sword before answering the question through clenched teeth. "Because I don't want others to get involved in this. Surely you can understand that." He said before Sephiroth knocked him back.

"Did you really think you could defeat her alone? The Dark Harbinger herself? You have enough trouble fighting against me, let alone the simple most powerful entity on the Planet."

Jenova watched this from the skies, and quickly got bored. She had a feeling this would happen, but wanted to try it anyway. "I'm sick of this already." She said as she landed, looking at both of her toys. "Now kneel before me, we must discuss what he shall do with this pathetic Planet." The calamity thought for a moment before continuing. "I may just want to control it this time instead of destroying it. I've discovered that you Humans can be quite fun to mess with." She looked towards Cloud as she said this, noticing how he still fought back. "You should give up boy…"

Sephiroth did as he was told and kneeled; getting quite tired of the pain Jenova was putting him through when he disobeyed. He saw her approach him, and prayed to the Gods that Cloud would obey as well. His own pain tolerance was much higher than the blonde's so he didn't mind resisting so much. But Cloud was putting himself through too much if he continued to fight, for Jenova was right, it only caused pain to him.

But of course, Cloud couldn't hear these words, for Sephiroth was unable to speak them. So of course, being the fighter that he was, he struggled against the calamity's hold once more, gripping his sword tightly in his hand as he walked over to her. He walked slowly, careful that Jenova didn't see him rearing up on her, though deep down in his head, he knew that she sensed him coming. He continued to walk until he was right behind her, and just as he lifted his sword she turned around and stuck he hand out, grabbing the blond by his neck.

"Well now, look who decided to be an idiot." Jenova muttered softly. "I would figure by now that you would have learned your lesson, but it seems that I was wrong." She shook her heard before keeping a strong hold on Cloud, both physically and mentally holding him in place. "Well, it seems that I must teach you with pain."

Cloud watched the Dark Harbinger grin menacingly before he felt pain bloom through his body once more. He thought that he could handle it as he had before, but this pain was like no other he had felt before. It was almost as if his nerves themselves were being hit unrelentlessly by a very powerful force. He tried to hold back his screams, but that only lasted seconds before Jenova increased the pain.

He cried out loudly, his body writhing in Jenova's strong grip before she through his spasming body onto the floor. Cloud whimpered, groaned then cried out once more, unable to hold back pain throbbing throughout his body. "Make it stop!" He cried through clenched teeth, but was only rewarded with an increase in pain once more.

Jenova relished in his misery, the cries and the feeling of him begging to her without words making her moan, then laugh loudly. "No you experience true misery Cloud Strife. Maybe this will teach you to obey me." She looked down at the blond at laughed once more, the sounds echoing throughout that vast expanse of land.

Sephiroth watched in horror, once again unable to do anything to help him. He closed his eyes then looked away, still on his knees do to his 'Mother's' command. He cringed at the loud sounds escaping Cloud's mouth, wishing he could help him, but there was absolutely nothing he could do.

Jenova turned to look back at her other son, and smirked a bit as she forced him to open his and watch the madness unfold. "No Sephiroth, you mustn't look away, for this will happen to you as well if you dare to ever defy me."

Kadaj finally walked out of the corner he was pressed against and watched as Cloud screamed in agony. He grinned and walked over, glad to be a part of this show, but before he could get any closer, he saw something swoop down from the sky in a flash, and take Cloud away.

Jenova saw this as well, and chased after the blurred figure, taking to the skies as well. She chased and followed, but eventually lost whatever it was and growled angrily. She released her hold on the swordsman, ceasing the pain before she smiled sinfully. "Let him regain his strength. He will be back for me. As they all do."

Cloud slowly opened his eyes as he felt the pain recede. He went to sit up, but instead of feeling the hardness of the ground beneath him, he felt a strong pair of arms holding him up, as well as a sense of weightlessness. He looked below him and saw that he was very high off the ground, and then proceeded to open his eyes wide. "How is this…" He said softly before he finally looked up at the familiar face.

The man had those Mako blue eyes Cloud knew so well, one single black group of hair falling to his face while the rest was spiked back, and that x-shaped scar on his cheek. Cloud continued to stare, soaking up the familiar features in utter shock and disbelief, unsure what to think. _Could it be?_ He thought before finally, the sable-haired man looked down at the blond, a soft smile appearing on his lips.

"I'm back." Was all he said as he continued to look down at Cloud.

"Zack…" Was all Cloud could manage to whisper back.


	3. Chapter 3

Here is a disclaimer that I forgot to put into my previous chapters. This story isn't exactly truthful to the FFVII storyline. (Obviously…. The whole ZackxCloud thing never existed, even though it was totally canon in my eyes, people didn't come back to life, Jenova never really had a true human form, blah, blah, blah.) So, at times I will use things from my imagination that may make people kinda upset because it was destroyed in the original story or never really happened, or never existed or something, I don't know. This is just a warning that I don't copy things word for word, or exact details from the source that I'm creating the story from, so this is just a heads up for detail Nazis out there. Hope it doesn't ruin the story for you guys though! Enjoy! :D Ps, I don't own any of these characters; Square does, (Unfortunately.).

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

The wind blew through their hair as Zack continued to fly to safety. Cloud still couldn't believe his eyes as he continued to stare into the raven haired male's Mako blue eyes, the eyes that he knew so well in the past. He wanted so badly to reach out, stroke the older male's cheek, but his limbs were weak from the pain that flooded his body only moments before. He saw Zack smile again as he slowly reached his hand up to stroke Cloud's cheek softly.

The blond unconsciously jumped from the touch, his nerve endings still extremely sensitive due to Jenova's attack. Additionally, he jumped because it was a person who had been dead for years who was touching him, the man who he had loved for so long, longed for, ached for. The sensation and the situation itself was simply too much for Cloud to handle, too much for him to take in at this time. He blacked out, his eyes closing quickly, his head leaning heavily against Zack's chest. The sable haired male saw this and sighed softly, continuing to fly to his destination, faster than before.

_Cloud, what have the years done to you?_

There were a small group of buildings located in an abandoned area. The buildings looked old. Some of the bigger ones had collapsed due to time and whatever had happened here in the past. The groups of buildings were the old housing areas that were used when SOLDIER was still running. Zack had landed in this area because he knew no one would bother looking here, in some old run down area. He also landed here because he didn't know where else to go. Being dead for so long, he was unsure where anything was. He didn't know where 7th Heaven was, and he knew he couldn't go back to the church for somebody who knew Cloud, or himself, like Sephiroth, was bound to check there.

Zack continued to walk, folding his stark white wings behind his back and holding Cloud close to his chest as he did so. He walked into the familiar building where he used to live, now broken and rusted with age, but still sturdy enough to stay for the time being. He walked down the long hallway of the 1st floor then turned to face his door. It looked the same, his name printed on the door in bold metallic letters with his class written underneath it.

"Zack Fair, 1st class SOLDIER…" He whispered softly to himself, unconsciously tightening his hold on the unconscious blond he was holding in his arms. "How long has it been since I was so eager to hear those words…"The sable haired man twisted the handle and pushed open the door, watching it as it swung open slowly, its hinges squeaking from being in one position for so long.

First off, Zack gently placed Cloud down on the couch before quickly moving to his closet. The air smelled stale and musky, so he didn't want to lay Cloud on covers that have been out for who knows how many years. So instead, he found sheets buried in his closet that smelled fresh enough, and made the bed with those. He paused to look at the uniforms that were identical to the ones he was wearing now. The sable haired man then walked back to get the blond, once again laying him down, except on his old bed this time. He sighed softly then looked back at his closet once more.

"How long…?" He asked himself, but he couldn't finish the thought. _How long has it been since I got this uniform? How long since I've stayed in this room?_ Zack didn't know the answer to any, but by the looks of how much Cloud had grown; it had to have been a long time. Before he could form another thought, Cloud stirred in the bed and sat up slowly.

"Eleven years." The blond said softly, clutching his head.

Zack turned to look back at Cloud in shock. "What?"

"It has been eleven years. That was when Niblehiem was burned down. The last time I saw you when I was coherent. Five years later, we escaped from Hojo's clutches, and you got killed not too long afterwards when you were going to Midgar, and you saved me." Cloud grew silent, still trying to grasp the fact that Zack was here, in front of him.

"That long…" The raven haired male sighed deeply. "It feels like only yesterday that we were both in this room together, on break from a mission. Guess time flies when you're dead huh?" He was trying to make the mood lighter, but it hadn't worked, Cloud still stared at him with that sullen expression on his face.

"Just stop talking. I'm trying to take this in." The blond said softly as he flopped back down on the bed. "Why did you come? How did you come back?"

"I sensed something was wrong and called Aerith to me. I don't have the sense Aerith does, nor her connection to the Lifestream, but I felt that you were in trouble. So I called her to me, pretty much begging her to resurrect me." Zack looked away from Cloud. "I had to save you…"

Even though he was able to save Cloud though, he was too late to stop Jenova from injecting her blood into him. He was too late. The sable haired male thought about this, how he was too late to actually save the blond from the actual trouble he wanted to save him from. His form shook, he was trembling, mainly from anger. He wasn't able to save Cloud.

The blond watching this, and wasn't surprised to find himself standing and walking over to Zack's shaking form. Even after all these years, he still hadn't shaken his feelings for the ex-SOLDIER, they never weakened, remaining as strong as they were in the past. "Zack." Was all he said as he wrapped his arms around Zack's shaking form.

"I couldn't save you…" He said as he wrapped his arms around Cloud. He held the blond protectively to his body as he sighed into his course blond hair.

"It doesn't matter now Zack. What's done is done, now we have to worry about what Jenova is planning." Cloud shuddered at the thought. Since the calamity injected her blood into him, he felt a connection to her, one he never wanted to feel. It was almost as if he could sense her thoughts, and the other way around. "We have to stop her. She wants to make the entire human race her slaves."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Shortly after Jenova stopped chasing the blur that had taken Cloud away, she landed back where Sephiroth and Kadaj were waiting for her. She walked up to them, and Kadaj couldn't contain his talkative nature for more than ten seconds after she walked over.

"How dare someone ruin Mother's plans. I'll kill them on site, all you need to is tell me where they went." He was about to continue until Jenova interrupted him.

"Silence Kadaj. You talk too much." This made Kadaj shut his mouth immediately and back away quickly. Jenova flipped her hair out of her face, and looked towards the silent ex-general. "It would seem that an old friend of yours has come back from the dead." She said smirking. "I was going to wait until Cloud came to me, but he has given me all the information that I need to find him."

"What do you mean?" Sephiroth asked, a little surprised that he was now able to speak. He knew Aerith was alive, but she couldn't fly. So, who could it have been? He looked at Jenova, and saw that evil grin appear on her face.

She chuckled lightly at the look on Sephiroth's face before responding. "Zack Fair is alive once more."

Sephiroth's eyes widened at the name. Zack Fair, Zack the Puppy was alive? How was this possible?

She laughed once more looking at the ex-general. "And I think I know what I'll have you do." She frowned and grabbed Sephiroth's face, glaring into his eyes. "But I still sense disobedience from you. We'll have to change that first before I send you anywhere." She smirked, making Sephiroth want to pull away. "And trust me when I say, it will not be easy. Come." She let him go, the silver haired man following his Mother slowly. Kadaj followed them, speaking loudly and obnoxiously.

"Well if Sephiroth can't go, I can go Mother. You know how loyal I am, I was never disobey you. Hey Mother-"

"Shut up Kadaj." Jenova ordered, looking at the remnant with angered eyes. "You wouldn't last two seconds against the two of them. Especially with Cloud's now enhanced strength due to my blood. No, you will stay here and train, preparing for when we strike." She waved her hand as she walked once more, ordering her children to follow.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Cloud seemed to relax in Zack's arms, and Zack wondered why. Leading the blond to the bed, he held him closer to him, and only uttered a word. "What?"

"She isn't ready yet." The swordsman said softly. "Sephiroth isn't obeying her as he should and Kadaj cant fight that well. She can't go on by herself. We have time." He leaned his head against the raven haired male's chest, and uttered a soft sigh. He could finally relax, at least for the time being. "I missed you." He said impulsively, then wished he hadn't. He felt Zack take his face into his calloused hands, and looked up into his Mako blue eyes, which nearly shone in the darkness.

"I missed you too. But now, you must get some sleep." Zack stared into Cloud's eyes, and stayed there for a moment. How he had wanted to be here once more again, Cloud in his arms once more. He began to slowly, hesitantly lean his head towards the blonde's. Zack then closed his eyes and pressed his lips softly against Cloud's, something he hadn't done in years.

Cloud had closed his eyes when he saw Zack get closer. He felt his lips against his own and wrapped his arms around the back to his neck. The blond wrapped his hands in Zack's soft hair, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. He had wanted this for years, and now he had it. In a time of crisis, this was able to clear his mind of the troubles, knowing they would come to haunt him later. But right now, he didn't care, Zack was back, and that was all that mattered.

Zack ran one had through the blonde's hair, embracing the deepened kiss eagerly. But then it was over, the ex-SOLDIER had parted their lips, panting lightly as he looked down at Cloud. "You have to rest now." He whispered softly, pulling Cloud down to lay next to him. He unfurled one of his wings, draping it over the blonde's body as a blanket. "Now sleep."

Cloud sighed softly as he leaned his head on Zack's chest, thankful of his warmth. Shortly afterward, his breathing was deep and even, indicating that he had fallen asleep, worrying about the events that were sure to pass.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Sorry this chapter is shorter than the others. I was running out of ideas for it, and I wanted to get at least one more chapter down before school started again. When it does, the updates will be farther apart, which sucks, I know. But its school so mer. Hope you like ! :3 PS. This is an answer to a review question. It isn't Sephiroth doesn't want to fight back, or that he can't, he just chooses not to. He knows what will happen when he does. He fought back in the first chapter, so yeah he can. So to answer the question, he can fight back, but he doesn't want to fight back because he knows it will only cause him pain. Plus, he isn't as stubborn as Cloud is.


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